Yu-Gi-Oh Plot Bunny
by Blacksheep28
Summary: An outline of a major plot I'd like help selecting scenes to write from.
1. Millennium Items Creation

**This is a Yu-Gi-Oh plot bunny.**

**I am looking for ideas for what to post from the story. If there's a scene that jumps out to you, or something particular you'd like to see, please comment.**

The world was tied with magic, essential to the balance and keeping the world equal. Everyone could use it, magical ability determined by strength of will. The world's magic was made up with demons and spirits and shadows. The magic didn't live in the same realm as humans, it all existed in a parallel realm, the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm was ruled by three god spirits: The Winged Dragon of Ra, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Obelisk the Tormentor. Ra judged and kept balance, Slifer delivered souls to where they belonged, and Obelisk delivered punishment when the shadows and spirits went too far.

Humans used magic one of two ways: Light or Dark. Both were powerful. Light magic was open, obvious, hard to dodge. It was fueled by positive emotions and sacrifice and did best cast in the day. Dark magic was hidden, difficult to decipher and anticipate, filled with more traps. It was fueled by negative emotions and pain, and strongest at night. Light magic was difficult. While simple magic drew easily on Light the sacrifice and strength it took for a larger spell deterred most, making Light users rare. People grew to believe that Light magic was only defensive, that Dark magic was more powerful.

At the time Egypt was the center of civilization, the most advanced, the most powerful, the center of knowledge on anything you could wish. The pharaoh was strong, a powerful magician. A true leader he influenced even other nations. He wished for peace, but war was threatening. The pharaoh's brother worried that the pharaoh wasn't strong enough to do what was necessary with his wish for peace. Egypt might be destroyed before the pharaoh acted. So he decided to make a weapon so his brother could have peace. He looked for a weapon that could allow the wielder to call on the full power of the Shadow Realms. He found plenty of rituals for it, but it required Light and Dark magic, and the pharaoh's brother believed using Light magic would make it weak.

A demon, Zorc, was watching. He hated the human world and wanted to destroy it. Unfortunately he was trapped by the god spirits, with little power to influence anything despite his strength. He would need to break into the human world to escape the god spirits' influence. He decided to make a deal with the pharaoh's brother. He could make the ritual work using only Dark magic if the brother agreed to tie the items created to Zorc, acting as a key for the demon to enter the world. The brother accepted, and the demon designed a ritual requiring the sacrifice of 99 souls to make the weapon. The pharaoh's brother was hesitant, but Zorc pointed out Kul Elna, a thief town of just barely 100 souls. No one would miss thieves, and there would be no survivors to tell what was done.

So, the brother filled the ritual. The soldiers held him raid the town. Men, women, children, all were taken and boiled down in gold for the demon's ritual. Out of the dark sacrifice seven items were created. The Ring, able to point the way to what the holder desired and seal souls away, the Rod with the power of mind control and memories, the Necklace which gave visions of possible futures, the Scales used to weigh and judge souls to feet to Ammut, the Ankh, able to allow one to enter a person's mind and rearrange it to their desires, a deeper change than simple mind control, the Eye, allowing mind reading and the ability to see true forms, and the Puzzle, the ability to bind souls and shadows, creating a portal to the Shadow Realm. Each one individually could allow the holder to access the Shadow Realm, but only together did they form the key Zorc desired.

Unfortunately for Zorc the pharaoh's brother backed out at this point. He didn't help Zorc enter the world, merely presenting the items to the pharaoh and keeping the truth of their creation secret. It was everything hoped for: power greater than anything imaginable and a guard against all possible threats. The Items were divided among the pharaoh and his councilors, and peace ruled the land.


	2. Bakura

Kul Elna was the perfect choice for the dark ritual. It had 100 souls living there, they needed 99. None would miss a town of thieves and outcasts.

It hadn't always been that way. It had been a farming community long ago before being abandoned. When a small group of outcasts reviled for their unnatural white hair moved in it had been years since it had been seen. The group quickly grew to 100 filled with petty thieves and other unsavory types. Not all were thieves of course. There were the bartenders, the wives, the elderly and the children. None of that mattered when the pharoah's soldiers came. The young, the old, the men and the women were all slaughtered to fill the ritual.

But they only needed 99. The 100th soul escaped.

Bakura had been seven when he watched the village he had grown up in be sacrificed under the pharoah's orders to make items of gold. It had been pure luck that he hadn't been caught. Bakura had been out in the desert that day and late coming home. He had seen the soldiers from a distance and hidden. He managed to sneak in close enough to witness the slaughter, the image permanently burned into his mind as he watched friends, neighbors, and eventually his own family be thrown into large boiling pots where they were killed to create gold. Bakura might be young, but he was the child of a thief. He knew the value of gold. He just hadn't thought anyone would kill to make it.

He learned better that day. The pharoah's soldiers left carrying the seven gold items forged from the death of his people and left him behind. He was in shock for quite some time. He barely managed to pull himself together enough to head home out of the sun. He stayed in Kul Elna, unsure where else to go. This was home.

The spirits used in the dark ritual creating the Millenium Items didn't just pass on peacefully. They had been used to fuel the creation, the magic twisted enough to prevent them from moving on. Consumed with revenge the spirits returned to the village and turned to the only remaining survivor to grant it to them.

He was young when the spirits came. Their all consuming need for revenge blinded him. It gave him a purpose in life, and the spirits helped him live on his own. Despite his youth it wasn't long before he began to make plans to make the pharoah pay for what he had done to his people. But first, he would have to grow strong enough. So he began to steal, learning how to wield Shadow magic and fight. It wasn't easy. He earned plenty of scars including an ugly one on his face to remind him of his place in life. Every day was a struggle just to survive. But it would change. He would become strong enough to destroy Egypt's living god.

He was 13 when he discovered his Ka, a shadow spirit that had grown in his soul and would aid him in his work. He was called Diabound. With Diabound's help Bakura was finally able to move past the thefts he'd done before and become a tomb raider. It wasn't long after that he began to gain a following. He was considered unstoppable, just 18 when he became known as the king of thieves, stories told of him even in the pharoah's palace

The demon Zorc heard of the king of thieves. A useful fellow, willing to do anything for treasure. Zorc approached him, delighted to learn that his little ritual had created such a useful gift for him. Living with spirits for so long had blinded Bakura driving him partly mad. When Zorc approached him and promised him all the power he'd need for revenge if the Millenium Items were returned to Kul Elna and used to let Zorc in Bakura only hesitated for a moment before the urging of the spirits had him accepting regardless of the cost.

It wasn't long after that the pharoah died. Bakura was furious. How could he die before he had his revenge? His plans thrown to the wind Bakura attacked the palace the very day the next pharoah was placed on the throne disrupting the ceremony. Robbing the former pharoah's tomb right in front of him he stole the sarcophagus and dragged his lifelong enemy out completely devastating the body.

It wasn't long after that one of the new pharoah's loyal council members chased Bakura. His plans back on track, if moving a little swifter than expected thanks to his small loss of control, Bakura easily killed the magician and took the Millenium Ring he had worn for his own. With the first part of his deal with Zorc begun the demon acted on his part. Using Bakura's rage and the Millenium Ring's direct connection to the Shadow Realm Zorc sacrificed the Light in Bakura and made him an entity of pure Dark, capable of manipulating the shadows as if he was one of them.

It gave Bakura all the power he would need for what he wished, but a soul cannot be without Light or Dark and be able to survive. The opening left in Bakura with his Light gone allowed Zorc to bind his own soul to Bakura, a little insurance in case anything went wrong.


	3. The Pharaoh

The pharaoh's son grew up in a time of peace. The Millennium Items the pharaoh and his council wielded prevented war and brought prosperity to the land. The pharaoh's son was lucky in his playmates growing up. His cousin, Seth, was close to him. Mahaad was a gifted magician that had been assigned to keep an eye on the playful prince that had already proven himself extremely gifted in strategy. Mana tagged along behind them, wishing to mimic Mahaad in every way possible the servant eager to prove herself. Mahaad often had his hands full with them, a brotherly bond evident between Seth and the prince.

As they grew older Mahaad became an official court magician, Mana as always following behind as his apprentice. Seth decided to become a priest to be able to best serve the prince when he became the next pharaoh and learned the gods magic while the prince spent long hours learning the duties of a king. He became a master strategist and would often turn his duties into a game, amusing to most if worrying to see if he'd be ready in time. The prince was 15 when his father died. A full year of funeral rites followed before he ascended the throne and officially became pharaoh. That day should have been one to celebrate. Instead his father's tomb was desecrated, the king of thieves stealing his father's cloak to wear as his own and dragging his father's mummy out into the desert to be lost to time.

The pharaoh had known the so called king of thieves was a growing threat. It seemed his first act as pharaoh would be to stop him. His council gathered and used their powers to seek out the thief. Mahaad headed out to confront the tomb robber alone believing his Ka and the Millennium Ring would be enough to defeat the thief. Instead he was killed. Mahaad sacrificed his chance to move onto the afterlife seeing that the tomb robber had bound himself to a demon and tied himself to his Ka, becoming a shadow spirit so he could continue to protect the pharaoh.

The pharaoh used the power of the god spirits to stop the thief king, but not before Mana sacrificed herself also, joining the shadow spirits to continue following Mahaad. The tomb robber died, his soul sealed in the Millennium Ring. But there was still a chance Zorc would find another way into the world. He had to be sealed and kept from having that chance again.

The pharaoh decided to seal away the Shadow Realms, Zorc's link to the world. Doing so would require the pharaoh to sacrifice himself. It was difficult, but he would do so for his kingdom. He talked to his cousin, and Seth agreed to rule Egypt after he was gone. He would use his own name as the final seal in case it ever weakened. His name was erased from the records. The only remnant was hidden with the Ishtars, a loyal family that promised to keep it hidden in case it was ever needed to seal Zorc again.

The ritual to seal the shadow realms required the pharaoh to sacrifice his Light, turning him into pure Dark. His soul merged with the Millennium Puzzle and the Shadow Realm was sealed. Unfortunately without any Light in his soul the pharaoh was vulnerable to the shadow spirits. They attacked him, tearing him apart until he had no memories, no identity left besides not being one of the shadows himself. He acted as a shadow spirit himself, if more powerful than most. Sealed with no contact outside of the shadows that slipped into the Puzzle the pharaoh spent his years becoming one of them.

The sealing of the Shadow Realm affected the world more than was expected. Seth was a strong pharaoh, but he quickly realized that without magic their world was falling out of balance. Only those holding the Millennium Items had any chance, and two of them could no longer be used with souls sealed inside them. Seth quickly went to work preparing for the day when the Shadow Realm would return. The world couldn't go on without it forever. Shadi, a loyal servant, was picked to hold two of the Items, and find the right holders for the Items when the time came. Seth himself performed a ritual so when the time came he would reincarnate and be there for the pharaoh as he had been in life. Unable to do more he can only wait for the pharaoh to return.


	4. Seth

Kas are shadow spirits born from a person's magic. They grow depending on a person's will and help channel their magic and guide them in the Shadow Realm. Egypt's royalty was unique as they didn't have kas. Expected to host the god spirits they were raised to manipulate the shadows directly.

Seth had discovered that his inheritance allowed him to sever the bond between ka and owner and use the ka for himself. In that way many criminals lost their ka, the shadow spirits becoming servants to the kingdom. Seth heard of a particularly powerful shadow spirit on the loose and terrorizing a small village. He went to investigate, and was shocked to learn that the ka belonged to a small frightened girl. He protected her, helping to calm the ka's rage at the girl's fear and pain and give her a better life. It wasn't long before he fell for her, despite their differences in station.

It wasn't meant to be. During the battle against Bakura the girl summoned her ka to protect Seth. She was mortally wounded in the process. Her ka, a great dragon, stood by until the end, accepting the girl's soul to bond with her. Seth's bond with the girl transferred to the dragon. While the shadow spirit now had faint memories of what being human was, she was still a shadow spirit, and a dragon. So the ka did what she could to help.

Instead of becoming just another shadow spirit the dragon bound herself to Seth to serve him. Their bond was powerful, enough that when Seth fought the pharaoh over his decision to seal the Shadow Realm she was the one to fight against the god spirits' host. She was angry to be sealed from her master when the Shadow Realm was closed off, but watched him and waited until when she could be with him again.


	5. Millennium Ring

Bakura was supposed to die. But if Bakura died and the pharaoh succeeded Zorc would be forced to face the god spirits and wouldn't have his chance to destroy the world. So Bakura was instead sealed into the Millennium Ring, keeping Zorc anchored to the world to give him another chance.

As pure Dark Bakura should have been destroyed by the shadows. No one with that large a gap in themselves could survive in the Shadow Realm alone. Zorc protected him from it, the demon strong enough to keep them from ripping Bakura's mind apart. The Ring was still hell for the thief king. For the first time since his people had been slaughtered he was separated from their spirits. It cleared his mind, but it also introduced a vast mind numbing loneliness to his life. Diabound couldn't reach him, Zorc could only whisper, and there was nothing to do.

Bakura mainly ignored Zorc. The demon was useless. He couldn't get his revenge trapped as he was. Shadi kept a close eye on the Ring as well. Bakura spent years developing his magic instead. Slowly he mastered the shadows until he could manipulate it better than even some who were born there. His work made him stronger. Now he could sense the world beyond the Ring he was trapped in. And he could find a host to bear him.

It wasn't easy. First he had to find someone who could hold him without instantly dying or going insane. Then he had to avoid Shadi, who would constantly insist on bringing him back. And none of his hosts lasted long. No matter how carefully he chose them eventually they would die or go insane, the longest lasting only nine months. There was plenty he could do in that time, but the world was changing as time moved on, forgetting magic had ever been real. Decades could pass between having a host, and it left him frustrated. He would never be able to take the other Items from Shadi and complete his revenge. He didn't know his trouble was because he was pure Dark, and only a pure Light could hold such an unbalanced soul.

Then something changed. It had been almost 5 millenniums since he had been sealed away, and the seal the pharaoh had placed on the Shadow Realm was finally coming undone. Sensing the shadows beginning to stir again Bakura prepared himself. This time he would find a host that could hold him. With some people regaining the ability to use small magics his hosts could last longer, drawing on the Shadow Realm to bear Bakura's spirit.

A rich millionaire named Pegasus had recently lost his wife. He traveled to Egypt searching for solace. Shadi found him there. He would be a holder of one of the Millennium Items. He warned the man that he could offer him power, but saw tragedy if he did so. Pegasus followed anyway and took the Millennium Eye. It gave him sight of the Shadow Realm, the spirits inside it, and even further a glimpse of his wife. Believing that he could harness the power of the Millennium Items he asked Shadi for more, but was told that each item would be given to it's own holder in time, and then the game would begin to find the master of the items.

Pegasus researched what he saw in the Shadow Realm, and learned of the shadow spirits once used in the Shadow Games. Using his Eye he recreated the shadow games in cards. When the time came he'd use the cards to summon the shadow spirits to take the Millennium Items.

Bakura found the cards. He was amused to learn that people nowadays thought the shadow spirits were little more than a children's card game. Still, it would be useful. He found Diabound's card, and a couple spells he'd favored in the games. He slipped past Shadi again, finding a merchant to hold him.

The merchant quickly learned of the Ring's 'curse', growing sick, losing time, doing strange things without choosing to do so. He wanted to get rid of it and quick. Knowing the host would die soon Bakura searched for another and found an archaeologist from England. He would work. The Ring was given to him, and Bakura left Egypt.

To his shock the Ring was given as a gift to the archaeologist's son, Ryou Bakura. He must have been a descendant of some sort. Ryou was only six, far too young to serve the spirit's needs. He decided to possess him, believing doing so would instantly kill the child and free him to find another host. But he couldn't. Ryou was too young, unable to contain even a small part of such a powerful spirit's soul. A weaker spirit might possess him, but Bakura couldn't. All he could do was wait until Ryou grew old enough.

Ryou was unlucky. He had been born a pure Light. Just as unbalanced as a pure Dark the world had tried to destroy him. With the Shadow Realm sealed they couldn't get to him, but bad luck followed. The gift of the Ring on his sixth birthday was given in hopes that Horus' Eye, a protective symbol, might help somehow. Ryou loved the cards that came with it. Diabound was to him beautiful. Ryou was an avid game player and he loved collecting the duel cards, though he didn't know how to play.

Bakura grew more interested in Ryou with nothing better to do than watch him, surprised that Ryou had managed to keep Bakura for over a year. His seventh birthday passed in celebration, Bakura stirred with memories of his own family and hating Ryou for it. It was only a couple months later that Ryou's mother and sister died in a car accident. Bakura was enraged. Just like him Ryou's family was stolen, and again Bakura was helpless, unable to act inside the Ring.

Grief drew Ryou's father to spend more and more time away, more interested in his work and escaping the reminder of the family he'd lost than the son he left behind. Ryou had to learn how to care for himself. It was when Ryou fell sick that Bakura discovered he could in fact communicate to Ryou. When Ryou was weak and on the edge of consciousness he could even puppet the boy in a way. In this he could keep the boy alive. It also opened new possibilities to Bakura. Ryou had beat the record of holding the Ring. Perhaps he could continue to do so, and since Ryou could hear his voice Bakura had the chance to shape the boy to be the perfect host.

Bakura used Ryou's dreams to manipulate the young boy. Ryou grew interested in the occult, wondering where The Voice had come from. He didn't particularly care for it, as The Voice often insulted him and put him down, but it was the only company he constantly had. So he listened and built a deck around Diabound as he was told to. He took up martial arts for The Voice. When he was nine Ryou discovered a game called Monster World, an RPG game where he could build models and characters to tell a story and have the heroes battle against the Game Master.

It was hard, as Ryou had always been withdrawn, but he managed to make friends through this game. Bakura was furious that Ryou would pay attention to people beyond him, knowing that if Ryou wasn't completely reliant on him his plan would fail. So he hatched a plan. Ryou and his friends played, and Ryou made a careless wish that he could play this with his friends forever. Bakura used the wish to possess Ryou. It was draining for both of them, but when Ryou took the body back the souls of his friends were sealed in the characters they'd used in the game.

Ryou was scared, but The Voice seemed to enjoy Ryou's hobby, and even encouraged building new models for Monster World. Yet every time his friends play their bodies would slip into comas, souls trapped in their game pawns.

Hopeful for a new start Ryou's father moved them to Japan during a long term dig. Ryou was now in a country where he didn't know the language, isolating him even more. He clung to The Voice, even though he suspected it had something to do with his friends going missing. Bakura was learning how to use Ryou even better now though. He could possess Ryou for longer, and began to use Ryou's body to steal. With Ryou at the center of his world for so long and the spirits no longer crying for revenge constantly Bakura forgot his purpose, simply using his powers to enjoy life and remove any threats to his host. Anyone who tried to hurt Ryou simply joined Ryou's collection of game pawns. Extremely fond of his host and how Ryou hasn't suffered the usual 'curse' his former hosts had Bakura enjoyed life as his host's protector.

Ryou was twelve when his father officially abandoned him and stopped coming home. Occasional payments were made to keep Ryou alive, but Bakura supplied most of the money they needed to live comfortably. Ryou was unaware that the money deposits were often not from his father as he thought but from the money Bakura made as a thief. Bakura didn't tell him. He was not yet ready to tell his host about himself, and he enjoyed watching Ryou blossom into someone so resilient under his father's neglect.

Able to possess Ryou for longer periods of time now he began to teach himself about the modern world. Bakura didn't want to lose his title of King of Thieves simply because the world had changed. He'd catch up. In the meantime he continued to give Ryou 'gifts' of his friends' souls. It caused trouble, Ryou often having to change schools, but Bakura didn't care. Ryou was his.


	6. Millennium Puzzle

The pharaoh's memories had been carefully removed before the sealing to make sure he couldn't accidentally let slip his name and undo the seal. He was left with the idea of who he had been, and his knowledge of ancient Egypt, but otherwise he was empty. When the shadows came for him he was an easy target. He had no deal to save him, nothing to protect the gap left from his lack of Light. They shredded him tearing him apart for thousands of years until he had lost all of his identity, living almost as a shadow himself. He was stronger than them, and could command them, but they were vicious and had freedom he didn't. He was confined to a maze and didn't know why.

Shadi had left the Millennium Puzzle in the pharaoh's tomb, the Puzzle in pieces to be put together by the pharaoh's host when the time came. He was unaware of this. When he sensed something in the outside world the spirit would lash out viciously destroying those that would interrupt his sleep. He barely held back when he sensed something with an air of familiarity, a kind of magic similar to what was in the maze he lived in. He let the archaeologist take the Puzzle with him. Whenever the old man tried to give the Puzzle away or move away from it the spirit reacted violently, unwilling to leave the familiar man. The old man had retired after getting the Puzzle, not wanting to continue to risk his life when he was the only family his grandson Yugi still had. When Yugi was six he finally decided to give the Puzzle to him, a game to keep the boy entertained over the years.

Yugi wasn't very lucky. He attracted trouble as a pure Light. Receiving the Puzzle didn't help as his grandfather had hoped it might. Whatever dark powers the Puzzle might had seemed to be beyond his reach. Yugi was often beaten by bullies. His only friend was a girl, Tea, who he'd grown up with. She often didn't have time for him busy with studying to be a dancer and her dreams of a life in America. He was very lonely. His life turned worse as a teenager, two guys ganging up to tease and torment his odd hobbies. Joey used to be in a gang, Tristan from the same bad part of town but with a cop as his dad. Both were fighters, and both hated how weak Yugi was.

A bully targeted Yugi for Protection Fees, using Joey and Tristan as the example. Yugi stood up to the bully, willing to get hurt rather than see someone else hurt for him. The act spoke to the part of the guys that had bonded through fights and growing up in a tough neighborhood. They understood that hard headed loyalty.

Those thin bonds were enough when the Puzzle was completed to grant Yugi's wish. The shadows solidified the bonds between Yugi, Tristan, Joey and Tea to form them into friends and allies for the boy, unbreakable. Perhaps unnatural, but the bonds had been there, and Yugi now had his friends.

The spirit of the Puzzle was free now to do as he wished. He was thankful to Yugi for solving the Puzzle and granting him the ability to leave the room. The shadows had also backed off, warded away by the boy's Light. The spirit found it strange that he wasn't repulsed as the other shadows were but ignored it. He acted the part of protector to the boy. He didn't know much about this world, but he knew the Shadow Realm and it's magic intimately as a spirit born from it. He used his knowledge to destroy all the enemies in Yugi's way. Yugi's new friends were untouched by the spirit's actions as he could sense the shadow magic binding them to Yugi, and would never hurt his host. His protection extended to those bound to Yugi.

Yugi wasn't aware of what was happening at first. Strange things happened to those that would try to hurt him. He grew more and more fearful as time passed, finally becoming aware of another existence inside him. It was responsible for the death and insanity being unleashed.


	7. Seto

Seth set it up so once he was done as pharaoh he would reincarnate at the time when the seal against the Shadow Realms began to crack so he could again help the pharaoh defeat Zorc and help restore the balance between the Shadow Realm and earth.

He was reborn as Seto when the seal began to weaken. His life was fairly happy. He had a younger brother Mokuba, four years younger than him. When Seto was eight his parents died in a car crash moving them to an orphanage. Seto refused to let their next family be chosen by chance and possibly separate him from his little brother. Seto was a genius, with a photographic memory and a brilliant strategic mind. He used his talents when he was nine to force the multimillionaire Gozaburo Kaiba to adopt him and Mokuba by defeating him in a chess game.

Gozaburo took the boys reluctantly. He decided to mold Seto into the perfect heir as he had no choice and needed to find a use for the brat. Seto was bright enough. Mokuba was for the most part ignored Gozaburo threatening to turn his attention to him if Seto did not perform as Gozaburo demanded. Seto was abused, kept up without a chance to sleep to study and work in Gozaburo's weapons company, whipped if he showed himself as anything less than perfect in his actions. The dream Seto had shared with Mokuba of one day opening amusement parks around the world free for orphans had come to an end.

Mokuba tried to support his brother. He learned of his brother's love of Duel Monsters and made a Blue Eyes White Dragon for Seto since they couldn't have the real thing. In the rare moments that Seto could escape Gozaburo they could pretend they were still together and would play. Seto decided to make this home for him and Mokuba. It wasn't ideal, but he wouldn't be Gozaburo's puppet. He schemed, hardened himself, and finally when 12 beat Gozaburo at his own game with Mokuba's help.

Gozaburo was no longer part of their lives, having died from jumping out a window after being defeated by Seto. The scars from Gozaburo's care remained. He was cold and aloof. He couldn't connect to his brother the way he used to, and shunned anything that could be seen as weakness. His brother was protected in the world Seto had created, but it was an empty one. Even when Seto changed it from a weapons company to a toy company and began plans for the amusement park they'd once dreamed of Seto remained distant and cold.

He became obsessed with winning. He would never lose again. He would never be that vulnerable. Mokuba was his only weak spot, and even his brother had trouble approaching the aloof businessman. Seto began to collect the real Blue Eyes White Dragon cards, forgetting that his first one had come from Mokuba. He received three of the four cards made of it, and began his search for the fourth, unable to be happy until the dragon belonged to only him.


	8. Duelist Kingdom

Shadi sensed the pharaoh was awake and went to check on him. He took care of some tomb robbers before confronting Yugi. He learned Yugi was a pure Light, a natural counter to Yami's pure Dark. He tried to explain who Yami was, but Yami was too wild and attacked, forcing Shadi to treat Yami like a shadow spirit that had broke free. Yugi stopped Yami from destroying Shadi, letting him escape deeply worried.

Pegasus knew the other Items had owners now and used his Eye to find them. He set up a tournament that he felt sure to win as the creator of the game. Invites were sent out to the holders. Pegasus took Grandpa Muto's soul as bait to force Yugi to play. Yugi worried, and told Yami he could do whatever he wants to Pegasus if they can get Grandpa back. Joey agrees to help. At the same time Ryou and Bakura receive their information. Bakura laughs at Pegasus' attempt to manipulate him, but agrees to go. It's a chance to get the Eye after all.

Ryou is quite nervous about the tournament as he hasn't played Duel Monsters a lot. Bakura takes the time to teach him so both can use the deck as needed, teaching him to know the cards. Ryou adopts Cat of Ill Omen as a pet to Bakura's despair and amusement, while Bakura and Diabound hunt and prepare for the tournament.

Magic is beginning to return to the world, starting with those closest to the Items. Joey is unaware but magic is waking up in him. Yugi helps Joey enter as a duelist in the tournament but Tristan and Tea have to sneak on. On the deck a competitor, Weevil, steals the Exodia cards and tries to destroy them. Joey's magic temporarily activates to hold the cards together while he tries to rescue them, but only manages to retrieve two. Once they reach the tournament island Yami takes Weevil into a shadow game. As Weevil's so fond of bugs Yami lets him be eaten by one.

Mai challenges Joey, a very sexy female that uses perfume to tell what her cards are and psyche her opponents out. Joey wins, and Yami grumpily agrees it's Joey's right to choose whether or not Mai is punished for cheating. Yugi plays a duel against a water duelist and wins.

Seto is powerful, whether or not he's in a coma from Yami. His company has major influence around the world, and with the big brother out of the way Pegasus sees a prize to capture. He takes Mokuba to use to get the company. Mokuba is furious at Yugi for his brother being in a coma. He manages to escape Pegasus, planning on dueling Yugi and proving it was a fluke that he won. Yami and Mokuba duel, Yami using his knowledge of how people function and his glimpse into Seto's soul to convince Mokuba that Seto will wake up and be fine. Unfortunately Pegasus' guards catch up and recapture him. Yami challenges them to a game, but they deflect him onto a fake Seto.

It turns out the fake Seto is the darkness Yami had banished, given form by the Eye to fight Yami. Seto wakes up at this point to learn his company and brother are under threat. He uses his skills to hack into Pegasus' mainframe and learn what's going on. He's furious that a fake Seto is using HIS Blue Eyes. Seto's rage and connection to Blue Eyes actually affects the shadow game, alerting Yami to the unusual connection between Seto and the shadow spirit. He uses it to win the duel. But Pegasus uses the loophole provided by the fake Seto playing. The fake Seto takes all the punishment, and Mokuba is still taken away. They try to stop them but they can't keep up, the guards too far ahead with their head start.

The group runs into Mai with another duelist, Rex. Rex challenges Joey on Mai's behalf. When Red Eyes Black Dragon is called onto the field Joey's magic is triggered. When Rex offers to make the duel more interesting by trading their rarest cards it turns into a shadow game. Yami's concerned, but the game is fairly mild. Joey is tired afterwards, but he won Red Eyes. As the first monster to awaken Joey's magic their bond will be the strongest. Yami explains what happens, and offers to teach Joey how to control it. Yugi's excited as this is the most human he's seen Yami act.

Meanwhile Ryou and Bakura are doing fairly well in their own duels. Ryou is even allowed a duel on his own and wins it. Ryou wishes Bakura didn't use shadow games in the tournament, but Bakura's reply is that the game was designed for shadow magic. They meet up with Yugi's group that night, Ryou nervous and trying to hide that Bakura's back. He doesn't want to fight them.

The group gets along, until Bakura tricks Yami into a shadow game with the souls of those they care for on the line, offering a taste of what Bakura suffered. The souls are sealed into their favorite cards so they are unable to interfere. Bakura learns that Ryou was entered as his penalty to his shock. He hadn't thought he cared enough about Ryou for him to be endangered this way. Ryou tells Bakura he'd rather lose than lose more friends. Desperate to keep him safe Bakura switches places with Ryou.

Bakura is stronger than Ryou, so while the punishment of being sent to the Shadow Realm still takes effect, he is able to make his way back to the Ring. It does wipe him out, so Bakura can only sleep and not do anything. Ryou doesn't let them take the Ring, he remembers too well what life is like without Bakura. Mai stumbles into their camp at this point. She actually helps, Yami grudgingly accepting that it might be a good thing that Mai wasn't punished.

That night Mai is attacked b a player eliminator. Yugi's distress over the matter wakes Yami up. he learns the player killer likes to scare people to make them too nervous to perform well and eliminate them, and tricks him into a Shadow Game of Fears. Yami thoroughly enjoys himself and when the guy loses locks him in permanent darkness with his fear like he did to others.

The next morning Joey split from the group, hoping to duel someone that didn't just approach hoping to duel Yugi. Keith, another player in the tournament, targeted Joey for a duel. Ryou stayed with the group, unwilling to separate while Bakura was so weak. Joey ends up fighting against a zombie deck, and he hates the undead. They really scare him. He has to work hard to keep it from turning into a shadow game. he doesn't want the zombies more real than they already are.

Joey wins, and the group catches up to him. Rather pettily Keith traps them in there. Bakura wakes up with Ryou panicking, and manages to find enough power to guide them through the labyrinth towards an exit, grumbling the entire time that Ryou should have left the others behind. They find they have to fight the Paradox Brothers to leave. Bakura prevents Ryou from fighting, refusing to even temporarily partner with the pharaoh. Yugi and Joey partner instead and turn it into a shadow game. When they lose one brother is made to speak only the truth, the other only lies. Using that they escape.

Meanwhile Seto has finished preparing to face Pegasus and get Mokuba back. He heads to the island where Pegasus reveals that he trapped Mokuba's soul in a card. Seto is torn between not believing and the knowledge that it is somehow real. So he agrees to Pegasus' game and challenges Yugi as told to. Yami almost kills Seto, Yugi barely stopping him. Terrified at what Yami's done to get his grandpa back Yugi resolves to finish without Yami's help.

Mai helps them enter the castle despite Yugi losing to Seto just in time to see a game between Seto and Pegasus. He's tricked into accepting Mokuba as Pegasus' substitute, resulting in him losing. His soul is added to Pegasus' collection. Yugi continues and duels against Mai. he's fighting Yami while doing so, too scared to let Yami help. Yugi almost loses, Yami only allowed to help once he promises to try and be more human. Together now they win.

Keith has managed to make it to the finals, and cheats against Joey. It results in a shadow game activating to Pegasus' surprise. He realizes the Shadow Realm is getting closer to this world again. When Keith loses his memory of the tournament is wiped. Yami steps in to help patch any damage Joey didn't mean to cause before Keith is removed. Joey and Yugi duel normally with Yugi winning. Yugi and Yami finally face Pegasus in a shadow game. They're forced to separate and keep switching to block Pegasus' mind reading but it drains Yugi as he's unused to using magic.

Yami tries to help, but Yugi's magic is Light so it doesn't work. Yugi collapses, leaving just Yami. Bakura sees an opportunity of Yami wins, so tells Ryou how to help. Ryou with Yugi's friends block Pegasus and Yami wins. Pegasus unseals the souls as promised, and is highly drained when Bakura challenges Pegasus to a dice game. He wins and rips Pegasus' Eye out. He hides the Eye and lets Ryou back out when they're back with the group, Ryou unaware of what Bakura did.

Shadi feels Pegasus lose the Eye and and comes to check what happened. Pegasus is barely alive and is rushed off to be saved. Shadi briefly checks Yugi and Yami, and is relieved to find Yami more human before going to check Ryou. He finds he can't access Bakura at all so he can't do anything. He goes to Pegasus and finds that Pegasus can still 'see' the Shadow Realm. Pegasus continues to work, so Shadi provides a new eye to help focus the ability and acknowledges that the Millennium Game has begun.

Everyone returns home. Ryou finds the Eye and freaks out, Bakura calmly telling him that it's necessary, part of the game, that all Millennium Item holders are drawn to collect the rest. Ryou asks Bakura about the game, but Bakura avoids answering, just telling Ryou to wait and see. Ryou accidentally sees a glimpse of one of Bakura's nightmares and tries to learn Bakura's past. Bakura freaks out and locks Ryou in the Ring as punishment.

In the Ring Ryou watches and notices there are spirits attached to Bakura. Once he's let out he studies the occult, and realizes Bakura is most likely how he is because of the spirits. He decides to help Bakura, finally feeling connected to him.


	9. Malik Ishtar

The Ishtars had been assigned the task of protecting the pharaoh's name in case it would be needed to renew the seal against Zorc. Despite the new lack of magic rituals were followed for when magic would return to allow them to keep the name hidden and only have it revealed to the pharaoh himself. Unfortunately thousands of years separated and hidden from the world corrupted the clan. The original rituals changed with time, and it became more of a cult than the tomb keeper clan it was meant to be, forbidden to interact with the outside world. They remained underground, living the same way as they had when the pharaoh had been alive.

The head of the Ishtar family loved his wife, but when she bore a girl, Isis, he was disappointed. He was told by their healer that chances were she could not have another child. He was disappointed, but as luck would have it the son of a thief had managed to stumble to their hidden door. He was adopted as only male heirs could carry on the secret of the pharaoh's name. His name was Odion.

Three years later it turned out that the healer had been wrong. His wife gave birth to a boy, and Odion lost his place as the heir. Still, he had been rescued from a terrible life, and he didn't begrudge the young boy that took his place. He might no longer be considered family by his adoptive father, but his brother and sister needed him as their mother had died giving birth to Malik. He protected them from their father's abuse, and dutifully memorized scriptures alongside them.

Malik was more shielded than Isis and Odion. They knew the horrors that would come to him when he was old enough and so did their best to keep the harshness of their world hidden and spoil him. He was insatiably curious and wanted to see the world outside. Shadi, the guardian of the Items, had found the Ishtars and believed they would be worthy holders of the Items. When he discovered the tomb keepers were now little more than a cult he was disappointed, and gave Isis the Millennium Necklace and Malik the Millennium Rod in the hopes it would help them. When Malik was ten it was time for him to undertake the ritual and have the secrets of the pharaoh's name carved into his back.

The ritual was corrupted, and painful as each marking was etched with care deep enough to ensure that it would scar. The ten year old begged for something to make the pain stop, for his sister or brother to rescue him. When they didn't come to stop the ritual he begged for something, anything else to help him. The corrupted ritual combined with the Rod granted his wish. His Dark half was torn from him, leaving him unstable and worse than before as he had never been particularly Light in the first place, and was used to create a Dark guardian for the boy.

The spirit was young, and nestled deep inside Malik's mind. It took the worst of the pain of the ritual if not the entire memory, and consumed Malik's hate, fear, pain, and rage. That was it's world. Odion sensed something had happened with the ritual, and took desperate steps to protect his brother, carving his face with symbols to permanently protect and follow Malik. The symbols kept the Dark spirit from being able to emerge and grow, trapping it in the Rod. It had been created for one purpose though, and it was not one that it would let go.

Malik was unaware of the change as the Dark spirit's attachment to him prevented the negative consequences that normally come with splitting oneself into Light and Dark. Isis received a vision from her Necklace shortly after, and spoke to Odion in terror of what it meant about Malik. Odion promised to keep an even closer eye on the sibling from now on. Odion's presence kept the spirit weak and from emerging for a year, though it could whisper to Malik, angry about the pain Malik experienced and hoping to escape. Malik took a long time healing. He dreamed of the world outside of the tomb the entire time. When his next birthday came he convinced his sister to take him outside. For one hour they would explore the world beyond the underground catacombs they lived in while Odion provided a distraction.

He fell in love with that brief glimpse of the outer world and never wanted to leave it. Shadi sensed the shift as Malik made his choice. He found the Ishtars and tried to warn them to hurry home, but they were too late. They'd been discovered missing by their father. They returned to find him beating Odion to death. Odion passed out, the barriers trapping the Dark spirit falling. When the father turned on them the Dark spirit gained enough power from Malik's guilt, terror, and pain to take over the body. The Dark spirit pushed the father away and pinned him to the wall to punish him. The spirit's furious when Isis tries to interfere and strikes her, using shadows to bind her. The spirit plans on punishing her for helping Malik's enemy after the father is dealt with.

Isis continues to call for Malik, giving the spirit an idea for an identity. He names himself Marik, the young spirit finally old enough to have some semblance of self. He introduces himself, making it clear that Malik is currently not available. Marik tortures Malik's father to death. He would have moved on and punished Isis but he was still too young and weak to stay out for so long. He falters, and Odion wakes up. Odion recognizes that Malik is possessed and tries to call Malik back. Marik is too weak, collapsing, and finally lets go deciding Malik is safe for now.

Malik doesn't remember what happened, and is terrified to find his father dead, if relieved at the same time. The siblings don't tell Malik what happened, the trio forced to flee fearing the cult's reaction to their leader's death. The group struggled to survive in a modern world they knew little about. Malik adapted perhaps too rapidly, Isis worried, and growing scared at Malik's lack of morals. Marik is too weak to come out around Odion, and is still very young and needs to learn more. Odion uses that to trap the spirit so he can't come out again, leaving the spirit with nothing but the negative emotions that created him and the knowledge that he exists to protect Malik from all that would stand between him and his host's happiness. He works to keep Malik happy, whispering encouragement when he can, and soothing the hurt when Malik doesn't follow the law, convincing Malik that he's right in what he's doing.

Isis adapts and finds work at a museum, but under Marik's influence Malik grows wilder and wilder. Marik encourages the freedom, but starts to grow angry as he realizes that Odion knows he's there and is actively blocking him, keeping him from protecting Malik. He feels that Odion is in their way and tries to convince Malik to leave Odion. Malik starts a gang of bounty hunters that collect rare items, focused around duel monsters. He grew up hearing of the God cards and how they can be used to shape the world, and thinks that if he could get them all he could finally escape the nightmares of his past and live happily. Odion knows it's wrong, but he's too loyal to Malik to leave him despite it.

Malik decides he wants revenge on the pharaoh who was the reason why he had to live underground and will destroy everything that had to do with him. Isis is terrified to learn of Malik's plan and tries to stop him. Marik almost breaks out to hurt Isis for trying to hurt Malik but Odion interferes, leading to Odion and Malik fleeing Egypt and leaving their sister behind. When Pegasus uses his Eye to find Item holders Isis and Malik both receive an invitation. Isis of course refuses, knowing there's no chance that Pegasus can actually get in touch and harm Odion or Malik. Malik, under Marik's influence, creates a mind puppet to enter the tournament for him to find out more about the other Item holders and see if there's anything useful there. His puppet doesn't stay long. When the tournament's over he hears of a new tournament being formed, and knows his sister went to the holder of it. He knows Isis is planning something, but isn't sure what. Still, it seems time to make his move as he has managed to get two of the God cards, Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra. It's time for his revenge to begin.


	10. Battle City

In Egypt Isis learned of Seth's reincarnation as Seto. She decided to give him the remaining god card Obelisk in the hopes that he could help her defeat her brother and return things to how they were before. She told him of his past as the priest, but Seto didn't believe it. He still set up a tournament to win the other god cards, deciding he liked them and enjoying the chance for another contest against Yugi. Malik and his gang of rare hunters followed Isis with plans to get the final card and finally have his revenge for his past. He's surprised to learn that the pharaoh's awake, and possesses Keith using the Rod to steal the Puzzle. With the Puzzle taken from Yugi Yami is forced back inside. The shadows immediately act on the opening to attack Yami and strip him of his new memories and sense of self. Yami holds on, hoping Yugi will get the Puzzle back quickly before he begins to lose his memories again. Malik quickly challenges Yugi to a duel through Keith, as the ownership of an Item can't change unless it's won or given away, with the plans to destroy the Puzzle once it's his. Yugi agrees and initiates a shadow game to Malik's surprise. Marik tells Malik that individuals can use magic if strong enough, but Yugi can only use Light magic as he has no Dark.

Malik believes that by combining Light and Dark magic he could win, but the distance between them and their puppet doesn't allow them to put their plan into action. Yugi wins, but Marik has Keith smash the puzzle and set the place on fire, furious at the other's success. Shattered Yami finds his newborn humanity rapidly being torn away from him as he no longer has a solid anchor he can use to fight from. Yugi's friends are worried when they realize that Yugi has gone missing, knowing the Puzzle tends to attract trouble. Bakura hears and uses his Ring to track Yugi down. He helps Yugi gather the Puzzle pieces and assemble it, sealing a part of himself into the Puzzle in hopes it will help him when he goes to take the Item later on. He leaves before the others arrive. They manage to rescue Yugi after the Puzzle is rebuilt, much to their dismay at his stubbornness. Yami reveals what happened while in the Puzzle, and confesses that he thinks he might have been human once. Yugi agreed to help him learn about his past.

Yugi sets Yami and Tea up on a date together as he trusts Tea as his closest friend to be able to help Yami. It doesn't go well, as Tea is rather nervous, and Yami still isn't used to modern society, but they do get better with each other and Yami slowly relaxes regaining a fraction of what he lost while in the Puzzle again. Their day's interrupted by a guy demanding that Tea cheated at DDR and trying to beat her. Yami interferes and turns the DDR into a shadow game, and destroys the man. Tea realizes that Yami doesn't see it as wrong, and struggles relaxing again as she realizes just how far Yami is from being normal. Yugi ends up having to comfort Yami's sorrow over Tea's reaction, a little amused as Yami is actually much better than he had been before. The day ends with the pair at the museum looking at an exhibit. They're shocked to find a tablet displaying what looks like Yami and Seto dueling with Blue Eyes and Dark Magician in an ancient Egyptian tablet. Isis is there working at the exhibit to allow her to keep an eye on Seto and the pharaoh, and is extremely excited to realize that the pharaoh she was raised to serve is in the museum. She explains Seto and Yami's past using the Necklace to show them the past. Yami learns he was a pharaoh for sure and can no longer deny it, and Seto a priest. Even more, they were cousins to his surprise. Yami feels closer to Seto with this knowledge, but he doesn't want to be a pharaoh. He's just barely human like now. Yugi agrees he'll help Yami find a place in this time, pleased that Yami now wants to be more human. Tea confronts Yugi about Yami's behavior, shocking Yugi. He hadn't thought what Yami did was that bad compared to the past. He tries to reassure Tea but she still won't relax around Yami.

Ryou senses the Shadow Realm growing stronger and begins to worry. Bakura heard about the museum trip from Ryou, and is furious that the pharaoh doesn't have any memories so his revenge would have no meaning. Ryou tries to distract Bakura from it, but Zorc manages to speak to Bakura and encourages his rage, not letting Bakura listen to Ryou. Seto finished setting up his tournament and sent out invites to all the players. Malik entered the tournament with Odion pretending to be him, as the group was told by Isis that her brother is here and planning on destroying them. Malik's unaware that Odion only is doing this to keep Marik bound where he can't do anything.

Before the tournament can officially begin an idiotic rare hunter from Malik's group steals Joey's Red Eyes. Joey falls into a depression. He couldn't protect his sister who needs eye surgery, having to accept money from Yugi to pay for it, and he couldn't even take care of the card he'd formed such a strong bond with despite all he'd done to get stronger. He disappears just before his sister's due for surgery, and she's too scared to take it without him there. Yami and Yugi work together to track down Red Eyes to help Joey, desperate to get him there to help his sister. They pull a shadow game on the rare hunter. Malik realizes the rare hunter is acting up when he picks up the Shadow Magic and checks on it through the hunter. Furious he withdraws his help from the hunter, simply watching to learn more about how the pharaoh and his host duel. The Red Eyes is rescued, and is used to get Joey to the hospital in time. The hospital is shocked to see a dragon, but passes it off as a hologram, and Joey's sister gets the surgery she needs. Now ready for the tournament they prepare, knowing it'll be the center of the shadow games.

Bakura and Ryou don't enter the tournament this time, as Bakura is distracted by the fact that the Necklace and Rod are now within reach and is busy trying to locate them. Ryou is careful to keep Bakura from knowledge about the tournament not wanting to enter in another one. It's obvious as the tournament goes on that Joey's magic is getting stronger, more and more of his games done with shadow magic.

Yami and Yugi end up dragged into a shadow game with someone claiming to be the rightful holder of Dark Magician. Furious to see a false Dark Magician the real Dark Magician materializes and attacks. Yami and Yugi have to be careful in their actions though, the 'magician's lair' is full of traps. Yugi's Light magic ends up revealing the truth of the tricks, with Yami's Dark magic keeping their own side hidden, and together they manage to defeat the opponent. Glad to have it confirmed again that Dark Magician is theirs, no one else's, Dark Magician and Yami head to the Shadow Realm to celebrate. In the celebration Dark Magician accidentally lets slip he knows Yami's past. Yami assures Dark Magician it's alright, that he doesn't want to know the past, that he's no longer what he was.

Malik gets impatient, and gives one of his puppets Slifer to challenge Yugi, staying close so he can use his full magic this time. He's frustrated to find that Yugi and Yami are working together as well so they can't get the advantage. Malik and Marik still manage to push them however and chances are they'll win. Subconsciously Yami reaches for help. Seto feels something pull him to the deck, and is shocked to find Yugi losing. Angry that HIS rival and equal might lose to someone else he snaps out a clue that lets Yami win. The penalty game unleashed backlashes on Malik due to how close he is and knocks him out. Odion helps stop Marik from coming out with Malik unconscious, Marik growing angry that he's not allowed out despite the fact that _again someone has hurt his host_. He's losing his mind being trapped as he is. Yami claims Slifer from the game, the god spirit deeming him as worthy so he can use the card without danger. Marik tries to force himself out despite the barrier, the pain of the desperation to escape driving Malik to wander away from the others. The surge in shadow magic from the struggle finally allows Bakura to locate Malik.

He reveals that he holds the Ring, and Marik snaps that it doesn't matter. Malik follows Marik's lead asking why he should care. Bakura recognizes that Malik's too unstable to see the bigger game and takes advantage of it, pretending to want to help them. Marik warns Malik not to trust a Dark, but Malik ignores him and asks what kind of partnership Bakura would be interested in. They work out that Bakura will help Malik get the cards and in exchange he will be given the Rod. First they'll have Malik get closer to Yugi's group by pretending to be one of their friends. Ryou tries to protest, but Bakura soothes the gentle soul and submerges him so he's asleep before stabbing himself in the arm. As soon as they find the group Ryou lets Ryou out, telling him to go along with Malik being someone called 'Namu', as it's a way to get an item without killing the holder. Ryou goes along with it, not wanting anyone else to die. As soon as they're set up in the hospital Bakura takes the pain of the arm onto himself, using shadow magic to restrict Ryou's movement so it can heal since Ryou himself wouldn't be able to feel the limits.

In the hospital Bakura learns about the tournament, and he's furious that he could have used it to get what he wanted without a partner. Ryou apologizes. Bakura grumbled about it but he's resigned to his current route. Not much else he can do. Malik as Namu learns Tea, Joey, and Mokuba are Seto and Yugi's weaknesses, a perfect chance to destroy the priest's reincarnation and the pharaoh at the same time. He kidnaps them, and as Namu lures Seto and Yugi into a duel. They win, only to find that Tea and Joey are being mind controlled. Mokuba is safe, but Tea is holding a cyanide pill in her mouth, ready to swallow it if Yugi refuses to duel against Joey in a deadly game. Yugi has to duel without Yami. It turns into a shadow game. When Red Eyes comes on the field Joey partially wakens through the bond formed between them, but it's still not enough. The Puzzle has to do the rest of the work. They manage to break the control of the Rod to Malik's frustration and both end up safe.

Bakura recovers enough to leave the hospital as long as he remains in control of the body and talks with Malik again. They agree they need to work closer together so Bakura uses a shadow game to take the place of a tournament player. With the first half of the tournament over the finalists board a blimp. Yugi's shocked to find that his first duel is against who he thinks is Ryou. He finds it's Bakura, and Yami and Bakura go head to head with Slifer pulled out. Malik tries to tell Bakura how to duel and they end up fighting. When Slifer's set up to attack and finish the duel Malik uses the rod to force Ryou out, believing that Yami wouldn't attack one of Yugi's friends. Ryou's confused about what happened, and in pain with Bakura shoved out of control, not able to hold back the pain in the arm. Freaking out Bakura acts to protect Ryou, but since it's a shadow game it has real consequences. Both him and Ryou are drained, knocking them unconscious without enough strength to do anything further. Malik's furious to lose his partner, and sets Odion as the fake 'Malik' into the next duel. Joey's excited at the chance to take 'Malik' out as payback for what was done to him and quickly turns it into a shadow game determined to wipe out the threat. Malik slipped a fake Ra card into Odion's deck, telling him to use it to convince them that he really is Malik. Odion begs not to do so fearing the consequence of angering the god spirit, but Malik simply threatens to control him to do so if he won't. Odion reluctantly summons the fake Ra, angering the real god spirit. Ra turns on Odion and attacks him. The man's badly damaged, thankfully kept an inch away from death. With Odion's fall the group realizes he couldn't have been the real Malik, or Ra would have responded for him.

Odion's fall breaks the barriers keeping Marik locked away. Seeing his brother collapse Malik panics realizing that he's gone too far and needs to stop. Marik, having gone insane from being trapped and unable to do anything, freaks out and takes over the body forcing Malik out. He will not let anyone get in their way, not even Malik himself. Marik will destroy everything that tries to stop him. Laughing maniacally he reveals who he is. Malik desperately tries to return to the body, but Marik refuses. It's his first time being allowed out in five years since he killed Malik's father, he deserves time in the body. He snaps that he'll destroy Malik if he insists on trying to get in his way.

Finally in control Marik has his first duel against Mai, also a finalist in this game. Mai refuses any help against the insane Dark and ends up having her mind shattered so she's trapped with no memories in darkness, unable to get back to her body. The group tries to convince Seto to take them to a hospital to fix Odion and Mai, but Seto insists the onboard doctor can take care of it. The group's panicking, but Seto still refuses to acknowledge the existence of magic, and continues the tournament as if nothing's wrong, set to compete himself against Isis next.

Isis' Necklace gives her a vision that Seto will lose the duel by using Obelisk. She taunts him that way, Seto relying heavily on the card as it's the most powerful in his deck and he relies on power over everything else. He is about to lose when he draws Blue Eyes. The connection between them sends a flash of Blue Eyes from the past when he was a priest. It's impulsive, but he decides to trust it and rely on Blue Eyes as he always did in the past. Breaking the vision he wins instead of Isis as she predicted. Shocked at her loss Isis feels she was too proud and reliant on the Necklace. She thinks her time as a holder is over, and gives the Necklace over to Yami and Yugi for safe keeping, her role in the larger game finished. Now all she can do is hope her family will come back.

Malik finds himself trapped in the Shadow Realm. He manages to fight his way through it to contact Bakura and ask for help. Bakura's furious when he learns that the Necklace was lost to the pharaoh and his host, leaving them tied. He demands to immediately be given the Rod _and_ Ra in exchange for his help this time. He is furious on how Marik was treated, spitting at Malik that it's only this way because he didn't let Marik do what he'd been made to do, upset that if he had been a young spirit like Marik Ryou could have abused him the same way. Bakura manages to siphon enough energy from Ryou to challenge Marik to a duel. Unfortunately the entire time Malik and Bakura argue. When Marik summons Ra he defeats Bakura, sending their body to the Shadow Realm. Bakura and Ryou split in the Shadow Realm, Bakura furious that Ryou ended up endangered by Malik's reckless plan. Ryou asked Bakura what was going on, and Bakura explains, hiding that he's connected to the Puzzle and might be able to use it to get out. Malik, Ryou, and Bakura form a temporary alliance to survive in the Shadow Realm.


	11. Shadow Realm

When Bakura lost to Marik, his body was banished to the Shadow Realm, Malik thrown in after him to prevent any further attempts to regain his body. In the Shadow Realm Ryou and Bakura separated, each having their own bodies in this realm. Bakura was furious to realize that with the body in the realm with them they were separate, leaving Ryou endangered. Ryou asked what had happened, Bakura roughly explaining that he had lost a battle that had lead to them being trapped here. Zorc convinces Bakura to keep his connection to the Puzzle a secret, as only one could use it as an exit.

Malik Ryou and Bakura enter a temporary alliance to survive here, Bakura having no choice but to rely on Malik to help his host. Bakura teaches them how to survive here and function, with Malik explaining that him and Ryou are Light, and teaching Ryou how his magic functions as Bakura cannot. Malik reveals he might have a way to contact those on earth still, so Bakura and Ryou make base and protect it while Malik contacts his sister and explains that the three of them are trapped in the Shadow Realm. Isis agrees to use her magic to once a day create a point of contact that would let them come back to the blimp instead of anywhere else the Shadow Realm might spit them out when they find a portal to go back. Unfortunately that's all she can do on the outside, it's up to them to get themselves out as long as Marik is undefeated.

As they fight the shadows Malik is impressed to see how adept Ryou is in his magic and surviving. Bakura doesn't explain that he'd actually been training Ryou from the time he realized he could one day use Ryou to be the perfect host, training him in fighting and what magic he could with the differences in their natures. Bakura ends up as the unofficial guide in the group. His protective side is quite obvious here, as he can't hide Ryou away or do what he normally does to make sure Ryou isn't pulled in. Ryou's glad to finally have solid proof that he was right about Bakura caring for him.

Malik complains about Marik and how he's so different, abusive and violent instead of acting as the other Darks do with their hosts. Bakura snaps at Malik, revealing his fear that Ryou would have left him trapped how Marik was if he could. Malik realizes that Marik's crazy because of what he did. It's his fault his Dark is so crazy. He decides to try and help in the future.

The shadows try to lure Malik from the group, as Bakura and Ryou are balanced together, but Malik's vulnerable. Bakura and Ryou realize they need to act together to cover the other's weaknesses, Bakura forgetting the contract with Zorc that protects him from most of the dangers of the realm, and combine their powers to protect Malik. Unfortunately the constant battle is slowly draining the group. They need a Dark for Malik or they'll eventually all die.

On earth Joey, Yami, Yugi, Seto, and Marik are preparing for the final shadow games. They're the last four in the tournament. Seto's still in denial of the magic, leaving Joey, Yugi, and Yami to strategize together to try and stop Marik, knowing he'll be unstoppable if he gets all three god cards like he wishes. In the midst of this planning the blimp is suddenly hijacked by a hack into the computer navigator. They're pulled off course, and learn that an AI is planning on killing all of them-unless they're willing to put their bodies on the line and play a game against him. Tea, Tristan, Joey, Yugi, Seto, and Mokuba all volunteer to place themselves into this contest. Marik refuses despite the danger this could lead to. Isis agrees to stay behind, and make sure those who are unconscious can't be harmed by Marik while they deal with this problem.

They enter the virtual game and learn that it's based on Seto's past and exploiting the weaknesses there. In the real world Marik contemplates destroying the bodies while they're lying there. If they die, nothing can stop him from simply taking the cards. Isis however invokes her own game, dragging it out so Marik doesn't have the chance to attack. In the game Yami and Yugi separate. They find that forcing Yami's presence into the game again creates a split, allowing the Shadow Realm to merge into the game.

Ryou, Bakura, and Malik sense the disturbance where they are in the Shadow Realm and head over to investigate it. They're relieved to find that again they have a chance to interact with those still on earth, only to be disappointed to learn that no one they want to contact is here. Ryou doesn't trust them either after the time spent growing tougher in the Shadow Realm. After all, he's faced Yugi's group before, and unless they're fighting Bakura he's just on the edge. They didn't help him out with reality the way Bakura did. They'll have to stay hidden. Malik is initially excited to learn it's a battle for bodies, but is quickly frustrated to learn that Marik avoided it entirely. He won't be able to get his body back this way. They keep to the edges of the game, helping the group out where they can.

As the game continues Seto's past in the orphanage and abuse is revealed. Bakura cracks up laughing over it, knowing the truth of who Seto once was. Yugi's group eventually finds Noah, the AI that trapped them. They learn that he was Gozaburo Kaiba's real son, turned into an AI after a car accident that destroyed his body. He's jealous of Seto taking his place, and wants his place back. The group fights beside Seto to escape from Noah, only to discover that Gozaburo is the real mastermind, not dead, but hiding as an AI himself in the computer.

Noah's quickly abandoned for 'failing' in getting any of the bodies from the group. They turn to fight Seto's 'father', and Noah changes sides freeing them from the machines. As thanks Yami alters Noah, using the meshing of the Shadow Realm and the virtual world to alter Noah so he is now a shadow spirit, and able to live a life in the Shadow Realm rather than bound to a virtual world that's too predictable. Bakura, Ryou, and Malik are ejected back into the Shadow Realm with Noah as the virtual world is completely destroyed, removing any chances of Seto's father coming back again.

Bakura's group meets up with Noah, and use the new shadow spirit to temporarily balance Malik. They explain to him how the Shadow Realm works. The trio uses their magic to anchor Noah's human memories so he can survive without being torn apart by the shadows. Here he gains a fighter form, no longer human in appearance. Noah doesn't really feel bad about it, as he wasn't really a human for years. His new form is that of a raiju. He can shift to a humanoid form to talk to them still, but clearly prefers his new form and loves his new home.

Yugi's group managed to exit the machines just as Marik wins against Isis and starts destroying the pods that had held them in the virtual world. Marik is annoyed, but announces that they'll finish this in the tournament.


	12. Marik

Narrowly escaping Marik killing them in the virtual reality pods the tournament quickly resumes. They reach where they were supposed to go and a four way duel is set up to decide final pairings. Yugi is afraid of what will happen if Joey is paired against Marik so ends up sacrificing points he doesn't have to to try and protect Joey. Joey's furious, and says he can hold his own. He convinces Yugi to let him fight alone and he proves his strength when he takes Marik out of the duel. Unfortunately he's next, pairing him with Malik and Seto with Yugi.

Marik and Joey duel in a shadow game where they're shocked whenever they lose life points. Trying to keep up with Marik Joey overextends his magic and faints before he can win. Marik tries to punish Joey, but the shadow game declares Joey's punishment already spent and won't let Marik harm him. Yugi's worried but the Necklace gives him a vision that Joey will be alright, giving him the courage to keep going. He duels with Seto next. Seto combines his virtual technology with shadow magic, making him much more confidant and able to keep up with Yami. The price for the game is each other's god cards. It's a close duel, far too equally matched and the gods destroy each other. A part of their past is shown in the explosion of a similar duel, and they choose to again rely on those they've always trusted, Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Yami wins and receives Obelisk. Joey wakes up. The group celebrates that he's okay, Seto struggling with accepting magic and his loss and snaps at Joey. A harsh shadow game between Joey and Seto begins to prove magic, Seto winning once he accepts that Blue Eyes is in fact real. Torn by this truth he struggles to reconcile his knowledge of his past life with who he is now. Mokuba helps, pointing out that the past doesn't dictate the future, and that Seto CHOSE to come twice.

Seto accepts that, feeling more in control, and wonders what he'd planned for him to choose to come back. Yami finally faces Marik in a shadow game. Malik is suddenly pulled from the Shadow Realm to be a pawn for Marik, the constant battle in the Shadow Realm leaving him too drained to fight the pull. Bakura, Ryou, and Noah work on trying to bust Malik out from inside the Shadow Realm. Yami's shocked to find Yugi's been pulled out as well, the Light souls placed on the line for the shadow game. He determines to win even if it kills Malik to save Yugi.

The duel is incredibly painful, the Lights slowly being torn apart with Yami desperately trying to stop it. Bakura remembers Odion, and tells Ryou to wake him up. Odion is dragged awake by a full blast of Light magic. Realizing something's going on Odion hurries down to try and suppress Marik. Bakura realizes he can't help anchor someone the way he had been and lets go. Ryou retires with Bakura back to the Shadow Realm with Noah and watches the duel continue.

Marik is weakened by Odion's presence, and gets scared. He uses Malik to fuel Ra into his ultimate form to destroy Yami. Malik finally understands what Bakura was saying about Marik and reaches for him. He promises to take care of him and not hurt him again. He manages to switch places so he's now the one dueling and Marik's the one on the line. He alters the game so Marik won't be destroyed, only banished to the Shadow Realm. The game finishes with Yami winning thanks to Malik and Marik sent to the Shadow Realm. Bakura cheerfully greets Marik, and proceeds to beat him up.

Malik gives Yugi Ra so he now holds all three god cards, and shows him his back revealing the secret of where Yami's name is hidden and the secret of his past. Yami thanks him, but he's not interested in his past or his real name, content with his current life. Malik works on undoing Marik's magic, bringing Mai back and the others hurt, and brings Bakura and Ryou back. Marik is also brought back, tied to the Millennium Rod so they're now separate, and gives Marik a safe place from the shadows.


	13. Finale

When Bakura and Ryou return from the Shadow Realm everyone's shocked to find them partially separated. Ryou is as he always was, but Bakura actually can interact with physical items soaked in shadow magic, and is visible and audible to almost everyone. With most of the blimp drenched in magic it's like he has a body of his own. Malik realizes he separated them by accident, as he's used to seeing them as two separate beings. Bakura quickly experiments with the limitations, and learns he can only go 100 feet away before he's stopped. He's still a spirit and bound to Ryou.

Malik feels better now that Marik is resting and no longer filling his head with anger and hate. He knows he has a lot of work to do with his Dark, but at least he has a starting point. He leaves Isis and Odion. The pair's told it's for the best. They're reluctant to leave but do so, as Isis now needs Odion more than Malik does and Isis fears Malik still from Marik's possession.

Yugi is excited about Bakura having a separate form from Ryou, even if Bakura scares him, and mimics Malik, resulting in Yami getting a partial form as well. He uses this to start teaching Yami how to be human and interact with the modern world, something Yami had struggled with when possessing Yugi. They learn the spirits can still possess their hosts and go back into their Items, but for the most part they're happy for the new freedom this partial form gives them.

It doesn't take long to notice that there's an increasing number of shadow games happening with people who don't have Items. More and more people are using magic. They realize the seal's becoming rapidly undone.

The Kul Elna spirits return to Bakura's side as the seal weakens, again whispering for revenge and clouding his mind. When a poker game at school using duel monsters accidentally becomes a shadow game the school panics, leading to it temporarily shutting down.

Seto decides to begin tracking the progress and possibilities of shadow magic so he can figure out what to do as it will affect his company in a major way. He makes a website with Mokuba to do so.

Bakura acknowledges the spirits, and begins to again obsess over collecting the rest of the items, even attacking Yami. Ryou learns who the spirits are and struggles calming Bakura down as the effect of the spirits are gaining strength on the ancient spirit.

Seto begins posting what he learns on the website, and it begins to become extremely popular. He has to start a subunit of the company to keep up with his Shadow Realm research.

Malik contacts the wounded Marik to begin helping him heal. He finds that Marik's terrified he's been trapped again. He decides to give Marik a chance to be in control, but Marik is still too unstable and ends up hurting lots of people. He brings him back in, and realizes he'll need someone to help supervise Marik as he won't be in control of the body when Marik's out. He recruits Bakura and Ryou to help. It's difficult, as Bakura is having increasing trouble focusing on things outside his revenge, but when they get Marik to start calming down they discover that the mad spirit is extremely childlike beneath it all, still very young and curious about the world.

When Bakura loses control and lashes out at Yami, the pharaoh spirit reveals he doesn't want to be tied to his past and wishes for people to stop looking at him to fix it. He's just Yugi's protector now.

With Bakura losing control Zorc pushes as Bakura weakens, and pulls Shadi to them. Shadi is challenged to a shadow game, and loses to Zorc/Bakura. Zorc/Bakura turns to attack the others. Scared at Bakura's sudden change Ryou barely manages to get a warning out to the others before he's trapped. The group realizes this must have been why the Shadow Realm was sealed before, and that Bakura's been tied to the demon. They look up spells to seal a demon away, but there aren't many. The god spirits help, but find that the spirits of Kul Elna are blocking them.

Ryou finishes putting together the clues about Bakura's past he's found over the years and explains it. He offers himself to the spirits to try and pacify him. The spirits are drawn to his Light, and Malik, Isis, and Odion work together to use a ritual to allow the spirits to find peace. They find their ritual is actually destroying the Items as it goes on. The Lights panic as the Items work as anchors for their Darks, the Darks growing worried that they'll be banished again and torn apart by the shadows without anything to stop it this time or any chance of escaping. Seto reveals he'd found a way to make replicate vessels in his research, and manage to safely transfer the Darks over just before their Items are destroyed.

Moved over the Darks are again just spirits without the partial forms of before. Zorc is still loose however, but currently unable to come through. The group retires to recover. They try to convince Ryou to let Bakura go as Zorc is tied to him, making him extremely dangerous. Bakura realizes he can no longer sense the spirits of his family and goes crazy calling for them. Ryou comforts Bakura and protects him from the others, refusing to let them sacrifice him.

Zorc is furious and decides to use Bakura as his vessel, and reveals a spell to give a physical body to the group, hoping they'll use it so he can jump into Bakura. The group dissects the spell to make sure it's safe. They find the trap, but manage to actually use it to find the original binding to Bakura and undo it. They finally manage to seal Zorc, and the spell Zorc 'gifted' them is used to give the Darks bodies of their own.

The bodies aren't entirely human, as the Darks are no longer human, the group altered with the heavy use of magic halting the aging of everyone but Mokuba, who will most likely stop aging when he reaches their age. The group discusses what to do next, and decide to disappear as they're far too famous, and don't want to have to deal with the problems of the Shadow Realm returning.

Seto becomes an expert on shadow magic and sets someone up to pretend to be him so he can leave with Mokuba and live a quiet life while still pulling the strings. It doesn't take long for them to realize that the Darks can't separate from their Lights, as attempts to do so tend to bring immediate deadly consequences targeting the weaknesses existing from not being properly balanced. They set up their lives, Ryou and Bakura together, Ryou trying to help the grieving and abused tomb robber adjust to a new reality and try and keep him from getting caught as he's still a thief, Malik and Marik enjoying the modern world without limits and Malik teaching Marik how to trust and not destroy things, and Yami and Yugi happily delving into shadow games and finding new challenges to face, Yami still the protector and still unwilling to ever take charge again. When they can the group meets up in the Shadow Realm, Seto having kept the secret of how to travel there from the rest of the world so it remains a private place for them to meet up when they wish. Seto only reveals what's necessary to the world so the Shadow Realm remains safe.

With magic back in the world things begin to change. Pollution is solved. Resources are not a problem. Magic replaces technology in a lot of ways.

And so the world returns to the balance it was meant to have.


	14. Death-T

Yugi has started to grow more afraid as time goes on hoping to fight against the presence that occasionally takes over his body. His grandpa brings Duel Monsters to the game store, a new game that's quite popular. Yugi proves to have a natural talent for it. He shares that his grandpa duels as well, and even has a rare card from when the game was first introduced. Seto overhears and follows them to the store wondering if it's Blue Eyes. He finds that it is and tries to bargain for it. Grandpa Muto refuses angering Seto. Yugi brings the card to school the next day to show to those that couldn't come to the shop. Seto tries to switch it with a fake to take the real one for his own. Yugi notices and confronts Seto about it. Seto gets angry and challenges Yugi to a duel for it. The Puzzle Spirit takes over in anger of Seto's casual disregard for the card monsters and the threat to his host. He turns it into a shadow game where the real shadow spirits fight for them.

Seto tries to cheat and use the Blue Eyes he stole. The Blue Eyes refuses to fight for him when she belongs to someone else. Instead she attacks Seto and he loses the game. As punishment the Puzzle Spirit traps him in the shadow realm with the shadow spirits he abused in his search for power. He's badly attacked. When Seto escapes he's invigorated. He refuses to give up and decides to design a game similar to the one with 'Yugi' so he can again challenge him and this time take Blue Eyes for his own and teach him not to mess with a Kaiba.

Ryou Bakura transfers into Yugi's school. Ryou is no longer trying to make any friends, believing that if he can avoid people the Spirit in his Ring won't hurt them. His plan backfires when the gym teacher attacks Ryou and Bakura defends him. Yugi tries to make friends with Ryou. The presence of the Puzzle stirs memories inside Bakura. He remembers that he's seeking for revenge for his kin and his purpose to collect the seven Millennium Items. Ryou shivers sensing the spirit waking up and tries to back off. Bakura's furious that Ryou would try to escape this and attacks Ryou with the Ring digging the gold spikes into Ryou's body. For the first time Ryou's hurt by his closest treasure. Shocked Ryou retreats wondering why the Ring would hurt him after all this time. The Voice tells him that Yugi and his friends will soon join their collection. Ryou tries to fight it realizing the Voice and the Ring are connected, but Bakura still takes over and invites Yugi and his friends to a game of Monster World, Ryou's favorite RPG game.

Yugi doesn't realize it's a shadow game until his friends start being sent into their miniatures. Knowing that the spirit in his body will help he asks to be sent into his miniature as well. The Puzzle Spirit faces off against Bakura. Bakura's shocked to learn that the pharaoh's around as well, and struggles to remain focused on the game against the one he's sworn revenge against. Ryou manages to wake up partway through the battle and manages to seize control of Bakura's left hand. Bakura's furious. Zorc tells Bakura to punish his host and make sure he can't interfere again. Influenced by the demon Bakura stabs Ryou's hand onto a tower permanently scarring the hand and causing his host to lose blood and be too weak to interfere again. It takes time before Ryou manages to fight his way forward enough to help again. With Ryou's help Yugi's group wins and Bakura is banished.

Zorc uses his power to make sure the banishment isn't final leaving Bakura a way back to the Ring. Ryou's happy at first that the souls in the figurines are gone, but Yugi's group is busy and doesn't have a lot of time for the silent foreigner. Even worse, Ryou finds that he no longer has enough money to keep living where he is. He's struggling to pay rent, and often goes hungry. He does his best to work, but it isn't long before he puts the pieces together. The spirit from the Ring wasn't just possessing his body to trap his friends, he was using it to make money as well. The one being he could always count on, The Voice, is gone now. He only has days before he's permanently evicted from his apartment, and Ryou knows his father won't be able to help, far away on the other side of the world and rarely even remembering that he has a son. Bakura returns just before he's thrown out and 'saves' his host, destroying the landlord and bringing in the money Ryou needed to live. Grateful Ryou decides to try and keep Bakura. Yes the spirit's not nice, but he's the only one Ryou can rely on, the only one that knows Ryou's past. Maybe if he just stays away from Yugi and the others it'll be okay.

Seto's revenge is finally set and he invites Yugi and his friends to a dangerous game, Death-T. Yugi learns that his grandpa had been captured and used to take the Blue Eyes, Seto destroying the card that he couldn't have for his own. The puzzle spirit's presence grows stronger as the game goes on, Yugi fighting trying to prevent him from taking over. At last the spirit and Yugi go into a confrontation, Yugi revealing he's terrified of the spirit's actions. The spirit backs off, wondering where he went wrong to make his host so scared. The spirit resolves to help Yugi from a distance now. Together they manage to defeat Seto. Yugi reluctantly accepts the spirit's help against him as long as he's able to remember what the spirit does when he takes over and the spirit stops killing. He names the spirit Yami, darkness. Seto's mind is crushed as punishment for what he did, forcing Seto to pick up the pieces and put himself back together again. Yami assures Yugi Seto will recover, Tea starts developing a crush on Yami. An odd balance develops. Yami does his best to exploit Yugi's limitations, still quite violent and prone to making those that attack Yugi insane, but their relationship is better as Yugi watches Yami now.


End file.
